7/27/2014

We
have been running an art exhibit at The Hammer. I had been meaning to
do something along
these lines
ever since we opened two
years ago, but always seemed
to get distracted by day-to-day issues of the place. I talked to
Austin Brigman,
one of the two artists featured,
about
some of his concepts. Austin is from Wisconsin, but now makes his
home in the Little Ireland neighborhood of Yong He (永和), a suburb south
of
Taipei.

*****

Me:
What
originally brought you to art? Or can you even remember?

Austin:
I
think I was drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. There have
always been things I could see in my mind that I couldn’t find in
the world. I’m compelled to give these ideas a life of their own.

Me:
Sorry, it's a boring and
repetitive question, but
what are you doing in Taiwan?

Austin:
Teaching
English, making art, learning Chinese, attempting to be an adult.

Me:
Has Taiwan influenced you in how you proceed? If so, could you
explain?

Austin:
Of
course. The scenery is amazing. I find the mountains and plant life
as well as the urban jungle to be very inspirational. Living in a new
country is very influential in itself. A lot of familiar elements are
missing from my life and their absence causes a great deal of
personal reflection. Not to mention all the new and exciting things
I’m learning to adjust to.

Me:
Who
has in general influenced you? I mean both famous individuals and on
a more personal level in terms of your art?

Austin:
The
list of my “heavy weight” influences begins with Van Gogh,
Picasso, and Duchamp. My modern day influences include Greg “Craola”
Simkins, Anthony Lister, and Burne Hogarth, among many others. I am
also affected by the natural world (animals, plants, geology,
weather, etc.).

Me:
You have, just going over your catalog, shown an interest in the
collage? I'm not saying this is all you do. But why are you into this
genre?

Austin:
Collage
was a happy accident for me. I fell into it when I was working on my
BFA at UW-River Falls. I was trying my hand at water color/marker/ink
illustration. It was and is incredibly frustrating! I would work on a
piece for hours, only for a single mistake to render it ruined. In a
moment of frustration, I started cutting and ripping out drawings I
enjoyed from various failed pieces. Slathering paint on them, fusing
different elements together. I went a little crazy, but it felt
right. It was a natural reaction to what I had seen as a constricting
medium.

Me:
What
is your goal? Where are you moving / want to be moving in terms of
your art?

Austin:
I
would love to make art that I’m more satisfied with than not. I
still have a lot of work ahead of me. I’m looking to incorporate
more realistic elements into my work (landscapes, figures, etc). I
think my style is suitable for children’s stories. I really enjoyed
reading books when I was young and seeing the great art that
accompanied the stories. I want to give back and inspire young
artists.

Me:
OK
then. What is something you find off putting about art right now?

Austin:
I
don’t need to see anymore mediocre fan art based on Zelda,
Bioshock,
V
for Vendetta,
League
of Legends,
The
Last of Us,
Star
Wars,
Portal,
etc. Fan art needs to be really, really good to be acceptable.
Otherwise it’s just piggy-backing off of someone else’s
creativity.

Me:
What
encourages you generally and specifically in the art scene right now?

Austin:
There
are a lot of great street artists influencing people in public
spaces. I think it’s important for people to have creative
exercise, even if that only means responding to another person’s
work.

Me:
Any
plans for the near future?

Austin:
I
have a few ideas for children’s stories that I would like to
attempt. A vacation sounds nice too.

OK,
speed round...

Me:
What
is the best color for painting?

Austin:
There’s
a color between robin’s egg blue and turquoise that I can’t get
enough of.

Me:
What
is a topic you won't touch?

Austin:
Horses.

Me:
How
much time do you paint on a weekly basis?

This
varies quite a bit. Some days I won’t paint at all. Others I’ll
paint for three to four hours. There’s a lot of ebb and flow.